Have Your Story Ready

Practice your story, and in particular, practice tying it into why this firm makes sense in the story arc.

Be aware of how the things you say, and the questions you ask, could cast you in different lights. For example, VCs generally disdain the detailed analysis that PE firms do, and the PE desire to “have all the answers,” while PE firms are wary decision-making that leans too much on gut instuinct.

Prepare more questions, and more discussion points than you think are necessary. This will prevent awkward pauses that may cause you to stumble and say something you regret (I.e. speaking ill of a past job, talking too much about retail when the role is for a generalist role).

To generalize: The earlier the round of interviews and the more junior the interview, the more important it is to be competent. The later the round and the more senior the interviewer, the more it pays to be likable.